Campus Recruiting - R&D

R&D Campus Recruiting

Meet Helen Hofstede, Project Manager at Quaker Oats and University of Utrecht Graduate.

About R&D at PepsiCo

At PepsiCo, R&D Associate Engineers translate strategic market objectives into new products
and processes. Our Engineers participate in and lead accelerated product development life
cycles that include new idea generation, prototype development, product optimization, process
development, process scale-up, and production startup for test market and national launching of
new products.
As a R&D Associate Food Scientist with PepsiCo, you will have unique opportunities to
increase technical knowledge by participating in the development of a diverse portfolio of
beverage and snack product categories. The teams translate strategic market objectives into new
products and processes, optimize designs per consumer response and select winning ideas for
commercialization.

Meredith Remter

Helen Hofstede

Louis Vazquez

Meredith Remter

Research & Development Intern

When I was an intern...
Within my first three months I was given the opportunity to work with a
project team interacting directly with senior leaders in Quality and Engineering. The
team lead an initiative to optimize and improve quality, efficiency, manufacturing
instructions and batching procedures at a plant level. This project will help R&D gain
understanding of the wide range of plant capability and prepare them for new, complex
innovation of the future.

Why I chose PepsiCo...
I chose PepsiCo because of the company’s
nurturing culture, global presence, extensive product portfolio, and endless career
opportunities.

Helen Hofstede

Production Manager

Quaker Europe Foods

As a Project Manager at Quaker Oats in The Netherlands, Helen understands the meaning of “keep your eye on the prize.” Day-to-day, she collaborates with a team of food technologists to create new and improved products in the lab. The ultimate gratification, she says, is seeing the product she has helped develop turn up on the grocery store shelf and knowing how much hard work went into it.

Helen's passion and work ethic extends beyond her job, and she has more than 20 national medals in track to prove it. Rather than joining co-workers for lunch, she's more often found lacing up her running shoes and heading outdoors to train, all in hopes of making it to the Olympics.

With a plan in place, Helen's fast on her way to reaching her goal. She attributes her ability to balance work and athletics to PepsiCo's “Flexico” spirit -- flexible work arrangements based on individual needs.

“In the end you have to do it by yourself, but if a company supports you…it gives you the extra push you need.”

Louis Vazquez

Research & Development Intern

When I was an intern...
As an engineering intern for
the Food Packaging Group of PepsiCo Advanced Research (PAR), I focused on
developing a statistical model for water vapor transmission for a class of biodegradable
packaging films. In doing so, I was able to implement and refine testing methodologies
for novel packaging materials, gaining thorough experience with mass transport and
diffusion experimentation and analysis.

Why I chose PepsiCo...
While looking for a summer internship, I was
interested in the potential for creativity and innovation that existed in the consumer
products and goods industry. What really drew me to PepsiCo was the incredible scope
of technologies involved in making its portfolio of food and beverage products
worldwide. It was great to see the diversity of experiences and career possibilities that
PepsiCo offers for its engineers to create new, innovative products with a truly global
reach.

School: University of FloridaMajor: BS Chemical EngineeringGraduation Date: December 2011

"It was great to see the diversity of experiences and career possibilities that PepsiCo offers for its engineers to create new, innovative products with a truly global reach."

What's Next?

Interested in exploring the career possibilities at PepsiCo through our campus recruiting programs? Contact your local campus career center and inquire about PepsiCo career postings and event schedules.